Monday, July 29, 2013

(But first, a random gif that has nothing at all to do with what I'm writing, just because dang. This cat’s impressive.)

So here goes! Random writing middle grade tips:

Sacrifice almost anything for clarity.

Try to be dynamic and clear at the same time. You should never confuse.

Dialogue attributions should come as soon as possible.

This is especially important in middle grade, because of how often they are read aloud. Here’s a few examples of the same dialogue, based off one of the first pages of Sky Jumpers:

“Nah. I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you,” Hope said.

When you are reading aloud, even if you don’t do different voices for each character, you still kind of do. If you have to wait this long for a dialogue attribution, you might be getting the wrong “voice.” Let's look at another way of doing it.

“Nah,” Hope said. “I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you.”

That’s an example where we introduce the attribution asap. If your sentence contains more than one clause, you can break it between clauses.

Or you can start with a beat that let’s us know who’s speaking before they even start:

Hope looked up at the ledge she’d stood on moments before that now seemed so teeny. “Nah. I was just enjoying how fresh the air smelled when I wasn’t standing right next to you.”

Both of these last two ways work.

In late, out early is extra important in MG.

Take a look at each of your scenes. See if you can start it later or end it earlier, and see if the scene still makes sense. Don't ease into the scene-- jump in the middle. Keep it interesting.

Awesome names are a huge plus.

If they're fun to say, have meaning, interesting, outlandish. You can play around a lot while still staying within the tone of the book.

But not always. If your intended audience is 10-12, for example, don't make your protag 13. Kids change a LOT between the ages of 12 and 13. Thirteen is an age where characters act outside of MG issues, but aren't quite old enough for most YA issues. If your book is a solid MG book (which generally means ages 8-12, or grades 3-7), then keep the top age at twelve.

Haha, I love that about the forest and the bear. As adults we love a bit of the forest, or at least I do. So that's really interesting that kids just want to meet the bear. And yes, that cat is quite impressive. :)

First - can I just say ... that cat is awesome! Yeah - that can never get old.And I like the thought about the bear. That puts it into perspective. I would love to write an MG book one day. Love your tips Peggy.

Hey, that's exactly how I do my dialogue, too! I figure if you can wait until the end of a paragraph to attribute the dialogue, then you probably don't have to do it at all. Otherwise, get it up front.

By the way, I'm loving your MG series. Even though I write YA instead, many of your tips are still applicable.

I write action / adventure books for middle grade readers, and I'm represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties. I have two books released-- SKY JUMPERS and THE FORBIDDEN FLATS (both action / adventure, for ages 8 and up, with Random House Children's Books). I love happy kids even more than I love cookies, I make lists as often as I eat lunch, and I love having every light in the house on almost as much as I love writing.